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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. degree — from a university
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cell — a phone
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — in music
  12. swing — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cell — in biology

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