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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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. swing — to play on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — the arms race
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. bore — to drill
  15. spell — magic
  16. stem — to come from
  17. perch — the fish
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spell — letters
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. degree — from a university
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cue — for pool

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