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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. season — in sport
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chip — for betting
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. root — the cause
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. root — of a word
  21. squash — to crush
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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