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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · degree · rock · chest · mine · swing · cap · net

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. swing — music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. swing — to play on
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chest — a box
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. net — after costs
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cap — a hat
  17. net — for catching
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. net — in sport
  22. cap — of ice
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rock — 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