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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. swing — music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. field — a subject
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. degree — an amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. coach — a trainer

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