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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. degree — temperature
  3. date — the fruit
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. squash — the sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bass — low music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. bass — the fish
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. clip — to cut
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — for paper
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. season — to add flavour

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