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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bass — the fish
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. race — a contest
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — a face
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chair — a leader
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mug — to rob
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. swing — to play on
  23. degree — temperature
  24. press — to push

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