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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — of the year
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. craft — boats
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. craft — a skill
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. degree — temperature
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

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