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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. land — a country
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. deal — to handle
  11. clip — for paper
  12. degree — temperature
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rock — music
  21. clip — a video
  22. degree — from a university
  23. clip — to cut
  24. nail — for a hammer

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