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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kid — child
  11. degree — an amount
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mug — a face
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — to rob
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bat — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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