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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. charge — electricity
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spell — letters
  8. degree — from a university
  9. charge — in control
  10. spell — magic
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mark — a grade
  23. degree — temperature
  24. charge — a price

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