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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. squash — to crush
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fine — all right
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chip — to eat
  9. shower — to wash
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — from a university
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — for betting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. squash — the sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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