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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. press — to push
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — a coil
  9. degree — an amount
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spring — of water
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. spring — the season
  16. press — newspapers
  17. squash — to crush
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. degree — temperature
  21. toast — bread
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rash — on the skin

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