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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — of water
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. degree — temperature
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. toast — bread
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — of a plant
  23. degree — from a university
  24. swing — to play on

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