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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. swing — in golf
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fine — all right
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. court — of a king
  8. deal — to handle
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. swing — music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. swing — to play on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — of law
  21. degree — an amount
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — for sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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