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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. degree — from a university
  5. squash — to crush
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — of the year
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. snap — to click
  11. season — in sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rush — hurry
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. degree — temperature
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. degree — an amount
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. squash — the sport

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