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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pound — a weight
  11. degree — an amount
  12. court — of law
  13. swing — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. face — part of the head
  16. scale — in music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — from a university
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bass — low music
  21. face — to confront
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. court — for sport

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