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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — child
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — from a university
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rash — hasty

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