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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: degree · club · chip · rash · toast · spring · rock · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. club — for dancing
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rash — hasty
  6. toast — bread
  7. spring — the season
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. degree — temperature
  10. club — for golf
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. club — a group
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rash — a series
  17. chip — for betting
  18. squash — the sport
  19. degree — from a university
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rock — a stone
  24. chip — in a computer

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