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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. degree — an amount
  3. march — music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. craft — a skill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. degree — from a university
  8. march — the month
  9. roll — a list
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. squash — to crush
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. suit — in cards
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. suit — clothes
  23. march — the month
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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