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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spell — magic
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — letters
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — a short time
  16. degree — an amount
  17. snap — to click
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. court — of a king
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. swing — to play on
  24. degree — temperature

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