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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. squash — the sport
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ball — a great time
  12. degree — from a university
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rock — music
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lean — thin
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ball — a round shape

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