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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.

Make a worksheet

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: toast · net · degree · lash · wave · hand · arm · can

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. net — after costs
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. net — in sport
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. net — for catching
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. can — to be able to
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. hand — part of the body

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