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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · fall · mug · court · lash · rush · degree · season

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rush — hurry
  7. court — for sport
  8. mug — to rob
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. season — in sport
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mug — a face
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — of the year
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fall — the season
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com