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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 120 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. row — a line
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. squash — the sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bank — for money
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — from a university

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