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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — money
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. swing — music
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pitch — completely
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wind — to turn a key

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