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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. swing — in golf
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. swing — music
  9. kid — child
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pop — to visit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. race — the arms race
  14. track — a song
  15. pop — soda
  16. race — humankind
  17. swing — to play on
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. race — a contest
  20. track — to keep track
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — music
  24. ruler — a monarch

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