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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pop — music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — a friend
  11. degree — temperature
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. track — a song
  17. race — humankind
  18. track — a path
  19. mate — a partner
  20. race — a contest
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. degree — from a university

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