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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — of a word
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — the sport
  12. root — the cause
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. degree — temperature
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wound — an injury
  19. degree — from a university
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. root — of a plant
  22. season — in sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ruler — for measuring

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