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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hand — help
  4. season — in sport
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. firm — a company
  7. hand — in cards
  8. degree — temperature
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. firm — steady
  13. rush — hurry
  14. degree — from a university
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a song
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. firm — decided
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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