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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bound — certain
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. tube — a container
  5. fine — all right
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. swing — music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. swing — in golf

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