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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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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: trunk · pit · row · lash · season · key · rest · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — in music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pit — in a race
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. row — to paddle
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — what's left
  18. row — a line
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rest — a break
  23. degree — from a university
  24. row — a quarrel

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