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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. object — a thing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. object — to protest
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. object — an aim
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. degree — an amount
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bat — the animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. deal — to handle

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