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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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. game — a match
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. swing — music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. current — happening now
  15. mate — a partner
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. current — of water
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — wild animals
  23. current — electric
  24. swing — to play on

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