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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. squash — to crush
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. prune — to trim
  6. toast — bread
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bass — the fish
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bass — low music
  12. vault — a safe
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. degree — an amount
  16. prune — to trim
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. sharp — clever
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. degree — from a university
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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