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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spell — magic
  3. firm — a company
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. degree — temperature
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — an amount
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. squash — the sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. prune — to trim
  13. charge — a price
  14. spell — letters
  15. ground — the earth
  16. firm — decided
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. roll — a cake
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ground — a position
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — to crush

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