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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. firm — steady
  6. squash — to crush
  7. firm — decided
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. firm — a company
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mate — a partner

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