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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. squash — to crush
  3. branch — a division
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cue — for pool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — in music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. scale — size or range
  24. branch — of a tree

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