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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pop — soda
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cue — for pool
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. degree — from a university
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pop — music
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. squash — the sport

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