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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. track — a song
  3. squash — to crush
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. track — a path
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rush — hurry

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