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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. band — a music group
  3. season — in sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bound — certain
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. root — the cause
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. swing — to play on
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — to get on
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a ring
  21. board — a committee
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. board — a flat piece

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