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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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 — the vegetable
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. firm — steady
  7. charge — electricity
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cue — a signal
  10. firm — decided
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. firm — a company
  13. charge — a price
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. charge — in control
  16. squash — to crush
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cue — a hint
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. degree — from a university

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