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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — temperature
  4. squash — the sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. race — humankind
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — a contest
  12. capital — money
  13. field — a subject
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. board — to get on
  16. race — the arms race
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. capital — a city
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. field — farmland
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. squash — to crush

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