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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pound — a weight
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mug — a face
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mug — a cup
  15. swing — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish

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