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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. kid — child
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. club — for dancing
  11. kid — to tease
  12. club — for golf
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. club — a group
  17. degree — from a university
  18. nail — for a hammer

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