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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. swing — to play on
  3. firm — a company
  4. club — for golf
  5. present — the time now
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. swing — music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. firm — decided
  12. club — for dancing
  13. band — a music group
  14. club — a group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. firm — steady
  22. band — a ring
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — a measure

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