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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: face · track · club · pop · degree · swing · fan · drill

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pop — to visit
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pop — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — army training
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — a practice
  14. swing — to play on
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. club — for golf
  19. face — part of the head
  20. club — a group
  21. face — to point toward
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. track — a path

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