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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — to crush
  3. sharp — clever
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. squash — the sport
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. band — a music group
  16. bound — certain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. band — a ring

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