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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rash — hasty
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. squash — to crush
  13. staff — employees
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bulb — for light
  24. squash — the vegetable

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