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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. degree — temperature
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. degree — an amount
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. squash — the sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. charge — electricity

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