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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. current — electric
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. ball — a dance
  11. current — of water
  12. degree — an amount
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — in sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. season — of the year
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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