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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. degree — from a university
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spell — letters
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. hand — help
  15. spell — magic
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — a short time
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. roll — a cake

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