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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. current — happening now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fall — the season
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. degree — temperature
  21. swing — music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — a lid

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