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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. swing — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. swing — in golf
  13. degree — from a university
  14. swing — to play on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. degree — temperature
  24. club — a group

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