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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pit — a hole
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. squash — the sport
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — temperature
  12. last — final
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. swing — to play on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — a dish
  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