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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. staff — employees
  4. club — for golf
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — decided
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. squash — the sport
  10. club — a group
  11. row — to paddle
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. degree — an amount
  15. firm — steady
  16. degree — temperature
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. firm — a company
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fan — a supporter

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