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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kick — in football
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — all right
  17. swing — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pound — a weight
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pound — to hit hard

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