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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 were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. kick — in football
  2. swing — music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. key — in music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — a trail
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cap — of ice
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. swing — to play on
  15. degree — temperature
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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