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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. squash — to crush
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. root — of a plant
  7. stock — goods
  8. band — a ring
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. band — a music group
  16. root — the cause
  17. fall — the season
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — of a word
  22. pass — a permit
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stock — shares

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