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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mug — a cup
  6. row — to paddle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. degree — from a university
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — an amount
  12. squash — the sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mug — a face
  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