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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. swing — music
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — the sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. suit — in cards
  10. spring — of water
  11. degree — temperature
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. squash — to crush
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mark — a grade
  24. snap — to click

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