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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. swing — in golf
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. season — in sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pop — soda
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. season — of the year
  12. pop — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — rain
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rush — hurry
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. swing — music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. shower — to wash
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pop — to visit

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