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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. club — for golf
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — a partner
  6. key — for a lock
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. charge — electricity
  9. degree — temperature
  10. club — a group
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — in golf
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — the most important part
  15. swing — to play on
  16. charge — in control
  17. content — happy
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. key — in music
  21. charge — a price
  22. mate — a friend
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mate — to breed

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