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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 120 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. degree — from a university
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. firm — a company
  11. degree — temperature
  12. capital — money
  13. swing — music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. row — a line
  17. suit — in cards
  18. row — to paddle
  19. capital — a city
  20. suit — clothes
  21. firm — steady
  22. swing — to play on
  23. firm — decided
  24. degree — an amount

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