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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. spell — magic
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. degree — from a university
  9. land — a country
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stock — shares
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. land — ground
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — to come down
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. spell — a short time

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