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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — final
  7. spring — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. spring — of water
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. last — finally

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