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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — to crush
  4. degree — temperature
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. club — for golf
  11. craft — a skill
  12. club — a group
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. club — for dancing
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. firm — a company
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. shower — to wash
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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