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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: swing · lie · bowl · calf · rule · degree · spell · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — a short time
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rule — government
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — low music
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rule — a law
  17. swing — music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spell — letters
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spell — magic

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