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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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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: kick · march · game · can · degree · rock · scale · swing

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. can — a tin
  3. rock — a stone
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rock — music
  10. degree — from a university
  11. march — the month
  12. can — to be able to
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — to play on
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — in music
  23. march — music
  24. swing — music

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