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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: bore · degree · lash · chip · rest · squash · bass · snap

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bass — low music
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. degree — an amount
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bore — to tire
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bass — the fish
  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