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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rule — a law
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rule — government
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hand — in cards

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