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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pop — music
  5. club — for golf
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bass — low music
  8. spring — of water
  9. band — a music group
  10. bass — the fish
  11. degree — an amount
  12. club — a group
  13. degree — from a university
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spring — a coil
  18. band — a ring
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — the season

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