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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ball — a great time
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spring — of water
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ball — a dance
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. spring — the season
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. date — the fruit
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lie — to recline
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. squash — the sport

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