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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. lean — thin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. kick — in football
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — to bend
  9. key — for a lock
  10. swing — in golf
  11. object — a thing
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. object — an aim
  19. degree — temperature
  20. object — to protest
  21. swing — to play on
  22. degree — an amount
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lean — to rest against

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