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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bass — the fish
  3. track — a song
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. degree — temperature
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — from a university
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. track — a path
  18. lie — to recline
  19. swing — in golf
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hand — in cards
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — to keep track

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