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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. swing — to play on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. degree — from a university

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