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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. rock — a stone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cell — in biology
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rock — music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. season — in sport
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — temperature

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