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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — ground
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. land — a country
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cue — a hint
  15. degree — an amount
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. swing — music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. land — to come down

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