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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. mug — a face
  2. degree — temperature
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mug — a cup
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. object — an aim
  10. rash — a series
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mug — to rob
  15. object — a thing
  16. rash — hasty
  17. object — to protest
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — the sport
  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