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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. swing — music
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fine — all right
  9. swing — in golf
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — temperature
  14. swing — to play on
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a great time

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