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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 116 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mine — for digging
  4. suit — in cards
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of a king
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. press — newspapers
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — of law
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. swing — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. swing — in golf

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