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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. swing — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. degree — an amount
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. object — a thing
  13. band — a ring
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — to play on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. degree — temperature
  18. deal — to handle
  19. object — an aim
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. object — to protest

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