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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. firm — steady
  3. squash — to crush
  4. net — after costs
  5. season — of the year
  6. kid — to tease
  7. net — in sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. net — for catching
  18. firm — decided
  19. degree — from a university
  20. season — in sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. degree — temperature
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. firm — a company

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