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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. degree — an amount
  3. squash — the sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rash — a series
  7. mug — a face
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mug — to rob
  11. spell — magic
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — letters
  15. mug — a cup
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cue — a hint
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — a short time

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