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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · board · degree · snap · court · swing

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. court — of law
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. swing — to play on
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. board — a committee
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. board — to get on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport

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