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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. squash — to crush
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. can — a tin
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wake — a trail
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. can — to be able to
  14. band — a music group
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. present — a gift

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