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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. swing — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. degree — from a university
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. swing — in golf
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. last — to go on
  15. row — a line
  16. degree — temperature
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. last — final
  21. kid — to tease
  22. swing — to play on
  23. kid — child
  24. pop — soda

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