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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · rash · pitch · fine · mine · degree · root · cabinet

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. swing — music
  10. root — of a word
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. degree — an amount
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — from a university
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fine — all right
  18. rash — a series
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitch — completely

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