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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. degree — from a university
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cap — of ice
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bore — to drill
  18. degree — temperature
  19. field — farmland
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ruler — a monarch

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