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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — a container
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — the sport
  12. degree — temperature
  13. march — music
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cue — a signal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mate — to breed

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