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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · bay · deal · track · hand · object · degree · squash

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hand — help
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. date — the fruit
  7. squash — to crush
  8. degree — temperature
  9. track — a song
  10. object — an aim
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. track — a path
  14. degree — from a university
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. object — to protest
  22. hand — in cards
  23. object — a thing
  24. degree — an amount

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