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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. track — to keep track
  3. club — a group
  4. swing — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. track — a path
  10. drill — army training
  11. track — a song
  12. swing — to play on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. club — for golf
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. degree — from a university
  24. club — for dancing

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