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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: mug · pound · degree · swing · lie · sharp · wave · ground

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ground — crushed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a cup
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. swing — music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pound — a weight
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. lie — to recline
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. swing — to play on

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