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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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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: squash · club · degree · face · calf · rash · toast · cell

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cell — in biology
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. club — a group
  12. squash — to crush
  13. toast — bread
  14. face — to confront
  15. club — for golf
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rash — a series
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — to point toward
  23. club — for dancing
  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