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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.

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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: degree · pit · tear · foot · dip · bowl · straw · lash

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. dip — to sink
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pit — in a race
  7. foot — a measure
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. degree — temperature

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