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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — the amount
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. content — happy
  13. cue — for pool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bear — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lie — to recline
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. swing — music

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