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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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Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. track — a song
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. scale — in music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. face — to confront
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. squash — the vegetable

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