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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — to come down
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lie — to recline
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — ground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pop — soda
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pop — music

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