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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — music
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. charge — a price
  9. mine — for digging
  10. degree — temperature
  11. swing — in golf
  12. charge — in control
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. swing — to play on
  18. charge — electricity
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. temple — a place of worship

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