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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. current — of water
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — to keep track
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — temperature
  13. track — a path
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitch — completely
  16. degree — from a university
  17. game — a match
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — electric
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. current — happening now
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. game — wild animals
  24. track — a song

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