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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. swing — to play on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pop — to visit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. foot — a measure
  10. file — a document
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. file — a tool
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — temperature
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pop — music

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