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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. club — for golf
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — to crush
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. club — for dancing
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. club — a group

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