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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. kick — in football
  5. swing — to play on
  6. hand — help
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hand — in cards
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stock — goods
  23. mug — a face
  24. prune — to trim

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