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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. squash — the sport
  4. degree — temperature
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bank — for money
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. file — a document
  14. bass — the fish
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. snap — to click
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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