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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 120 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: spring · kid · mate · key · lash · degree · squash · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. key — in music
  9. spring — of water
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spring — the season
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spring — a coil
  17. key — the most important part
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mate — a friend
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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