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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. race — a contest
  4. row — a line
  5. scale — size or range
  6. swing — to play on
  7. race — humankind
  8. swing — music
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. degree — temperature
  12. swing — in golf
  13. degree — an amount
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. shower — rain
  16. race — the arms race
  17. degree — from a university
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ball — a great time
  20. shower — to wash
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. foot — a measure

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