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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. swing — in golf
  3. board — a committee
  4. firm — steady
  5. degree — from a university
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. perch — the fish
  12. firm — a company
  13. scale — size or range
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. swing — music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. scale — in music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. degree — temperature
  20. firm — decided
  21. swing — to play on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. squash — to crush
  24. scale — for weighing

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