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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. last — final
  7. court — for sport
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. last — to go on
  18. charge — in control
  19. wound — an injury
  20. degree — from a university
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — an injury

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