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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pop — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — a coil
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pop — soda
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. swing — music
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — of a king
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. court — for sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. swing — to play on
  21. court — of law
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. degree — temperature

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