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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. saw — the tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. net — after costs
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stock — shares
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. net — in sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rock — a stone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. net — for catching
  21. stock — goods
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. degree — from a university

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