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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rock — music
  4. swing — music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — low music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bass — the fish
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rock — a stone
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. game — a match
  14. ball — a great time
  15. degree — an amount
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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