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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 120 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cue — a hint
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. land — a country
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — ground
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. squash — to crush
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. land — to come down
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cue — for pool
  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