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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. charge — a price
  3. chair — a leader
  4. swing — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. degree — from a university
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tube — a container
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. scale — in music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. scale — size or range
  17. charge — in control
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. degree — temperature
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chair — a professorship

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