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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. swing — music
  4. scale — in music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chip — for betting
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. swing — in golf
  11. degree — an amount
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — child
  21. chip — to eat
  22. degree — from a university
  23. swing — to play on
  24. board — a flat piece

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