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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. last — finally
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — a series
  6. last — to go on
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tube — a container
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. last — final
  14. net — for catching
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. net — in sport
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mug — a face
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mug — a cup
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mug — to rob

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