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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. chest — a box
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pound — a weight

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