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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. degree — from a university
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — in cards
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mark — a grade
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. track — a song
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a path
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. squash — to crush
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mark — to pay attention

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