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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — to play on
  3. degree — from a university
  4. court — of a king
  5. lean — thin
  6. rash — a series
  7. firm — decided
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. firm — steady
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hand — help
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. degree — an amount
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. swing — music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. firm — a company

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