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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fine — all right
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pop — soda
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — an amount
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ground — a position
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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