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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — from a university
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pound — a weight
  8. degree — temperature
  9. kid — child
  10. season — of the year
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. degree — an amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. season — in sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. swing — to play on

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