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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. firm — steady
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. degree — from a university
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bass — low music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. firm — decided
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bat — the animal
  22. firm — a company
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. degree — an amount

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