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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. sharp — exactly
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — from a university
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mark — a grade
  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