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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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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: roll · last · degree · kick · present · straw · bulb · lash

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. present — a gift
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. last — final
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. present — the time now
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — an amount
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. present — there
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — in football
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. roll — a list

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