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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. squash — the sport
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. shower — rain
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. degree — temperature
  18. roll — a list
  19. season — of the year
  20. wax — to grow
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. shower — to wash
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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