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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.

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: cue · ball · track · degree · safe · chest · swing · scale

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chest — a box
  7. ball — a dance
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. degree — an amount
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — temperature
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chest — of your body
  20. scale — in music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cue — for pool
  23. scale — size or range
  24. track — a song

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