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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. can — to be able to
  9. degree — from a university
  10. can — a tin
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. season — of the year
  19. degree — an amount
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. swing — music

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