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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. degree — from a university
  6. suit — clothes
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. suit — to fit
  13. row — to paddle
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. degree — temperature
  17. squash — the sport
  18. row — a line
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rash — a series
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — of the sea

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