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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 120 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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kid — to tease
  7. swing — music
  8. current — of water
  9. rock — music
  10. game — a match
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — an amount
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. current — happening now
  16. degree — from a university
  17. current — electric
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kid — child
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rock — to move gently

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