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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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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 · squash · bay · snap · toast · object · rash · cabinet

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. object — a thing
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rash — hasty
  7. object — to protest
  8. squash — to crush
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. object — an aim
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rash — a series
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. toast — bread
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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