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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — a partner
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. swing — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. club — a group
  15. mate — to breed
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spring — a coil
  19. swing — in golf
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — for golf
  24. mate — a friend

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