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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. snap — to click
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. firm — decided
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. firm — a company
  14. mug — a cup
  15. firm — steady
  16. squash — to crush
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mug — a face
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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