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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bass — the fish
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pound — a weight
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — low music
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. degree — temperature
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. spring — a coil
  24. key — in music

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