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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. suit — in cards
  3. can — a tin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. degree — an amount
  9. band — a ring
  10. suit — clothes
  11. rock — music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. can — to be able to
  14. suit — to fit
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. degree — temperature
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hand — help
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a music group
  23. rock — a stone
  24. degree — from a university

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