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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — size or range
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rash — hasty
  8. degree — temperature
  9. scale — in music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rash — a series
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. content — the amount
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. content — happy
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — an amount
  24. squash — the sport

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