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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. swing — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pop — soda
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pop — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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