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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. can — a tin
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitch — completely
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. degree — temperature
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pop — soda
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. staff — employees
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fine — all right
  24. swing — music

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