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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mug — a face
  3. swing — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spell — letters
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — to rob
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — for golf
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. club — a group
  16. file — a line of people
  17. degree — an amount
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mug — a cup
  22. swing — to play on
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — for dancing

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