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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
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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: cabinet · can · dip · squash · degree · spell · club · land

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — ground
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for golf
  7. land — to come down
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — an amount
  11. squash — to crush
  12. land — a country
  13. spell — magic
  14. degree — temperature
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. degree — from a university
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — letters
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — to sink
  23. can — to be able to
  24. club — a group

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