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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. lie — to recline
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mate — to breed
  15. squash — to crush
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — a city
  18. mate — a partner
  19. foot — a measure
  20. degree — from a university
  21. capital — money
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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