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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 · mouse · stick · degree · sharp · pit · cap · rash

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — a hat
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rash — a series
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pit — in a race

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