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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mug — a face
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ball — a great time
  15. degree — from a university
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mug — a cup
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cap — a hat
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. date — on the calendar
  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