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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spell — magic
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — to grow
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rest — a break
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spell — letters
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spell — a short time
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. squash — the sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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