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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — an amount
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — a series
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rash — hasty
  22. degree — from a university
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rash — on the skin

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