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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — to crush
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. degree — temperature
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. degree — from a university
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. dip — to sink
  20. craft — boats
  21. foot — a measure
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. foot — part of the body

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