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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. degree — an amount
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. degree — from a university
  13. board — a committee
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rock — music
  16. swing — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. swing — in golf
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rush — hurry

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