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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: bat · mark · rest · stick · ground · degree · lash · bore

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — a position
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bat — for baseball

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