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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rock — a stone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. staff — employees
  6. swing — in golf
  7. field — for sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cue — a hint
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — farmland
  15. swing — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. swing — to play on
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rock — 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