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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. swing — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. toast — bread
  7. suit — in cards
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spell — magic
  11. degree — from a university
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. suit — to fit
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. degree — temperature
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — letters
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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