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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. content — happy
  3. degree — an amount
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. can — a tin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. date — the fruit
  14. can — a tin
  15. bank — for money
  16. degree — temperature
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bank — for money
  20. suit — clothes
  21. can — to be able to
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bank — of a river

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