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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — a list
  3. rock — music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. swing — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. degree — from a university
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rock — a stone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. rule — a law
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. degree — temperature
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rule — government
  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