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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. march — music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cap — a hat
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cap — of ice
  9. court — for sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. swing — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of law
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cap — a lid
  21. court — of a king
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — an amount
  24. nail — for a hammer

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