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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. swing — music
  5. kid — child
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stand — to bear
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spring — the season
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mug — a cup
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spring — of water
  19. swing — in golf
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mug — to rob
  24. spring — a coil

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