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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · pop · hide · squash · mouse · can · degree · scale

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — of law
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. scale — in music
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pop — soda
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. can — a tin
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for 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