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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rock — music
  4. rest — a break
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rash — a series
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fine — all right
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rash — on the skin

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