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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. race — a contest
  4. current — electric
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. current — happening now
  11. squash — the sport
  12. current — of water
  13. squash — to crush
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. degree — an amount
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ruler — for measuring

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