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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — of a word
  6. degree — from a university
  7. swing — music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rock — a stone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — an amount
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. swing — in golf

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