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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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 — to crush
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. field — for sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mug — a face
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lie — to recline
  11. field — farmland
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — a cup
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. degree — an amount
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — a subject
  23. nail — on a finger
  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