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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. club — for dancing
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. root — of a word
  9. chair — a leader
  10. root — the cause
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — letters
  13. club — a group
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. club — for golf
  16. root — of a plant
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. drill — army training
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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