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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — an amount
  5. squash — the sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of law
  16. suit — to fit
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. degree — from a university
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. court — for sport

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