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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. net — for catching
  3. swing — to play on
  4. board — to get on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — a committee
  9. swing — in golf
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. swing — music
  12. degree — an amount
  13. net — after costs
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. snap — to click
  20. can — to be able to
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. degree — from a university
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. net — in sport

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