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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pop — soda
  6. kick — in football
  7. swing — in golf
  8. hand — help
  9. swing — music
  10. pop — music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — to play on
  22. land — to come down
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fine — high quality

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