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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. press — a publisher
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — of ice
  11. degree — an amount
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — the sport
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. perch — the fish
  16. degree — from a university
  17. face — to point toward
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cap — a hat
  24. press — to push

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