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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — help
  6. swing — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ball — a great time
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lean — to bend
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. track — a path
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ball — a dance
  21. squash — to crush
  22. swing — in golf
  23. track — to keep track
  24. degree — from a university

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