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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: suit · wound · mark · bowl · drill · kid · degree · lash

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. kid — child
  14. drill — army training
  15. suit — clothes
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mark — a grade
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wound — an injury
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. kid — to tease

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