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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: sharp · hide · pop · lean · suit · wound · squash · degree

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pop — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lean — thin
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — clever
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. suit — to fit
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pop — to visit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lean — to bend
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. sharp — exactly

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