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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: mouse · hand · degree · mug · squash · drill · club · lie

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mug — a face
  6. club — for golf
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mug — to rob
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mug — a cup
  22. club — a group
  23. hand — in cards
  24. club — for dancing

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