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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mark — a trace
  3. squash — to crush
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — to come down
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mark — a grade
  8. land — ground
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. squash — the sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wake — a trail
  19. land — a country
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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