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

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. charge — in control
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. degree — temperature
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. degree — from a university
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. degree — an amount
  14. capital — money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — a city
  18. bass — low music
  19. charge — electricity
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — a price
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wind — to turn a key

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