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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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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: degree · wave · swing · mug · club · rest · cap · lash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rest — a break
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mug — a face
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mug — to rob
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mug — a cup
  12. club — a group
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. degree — temperature
  15. club — for dancing
  16. swing — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — of ice
  22. swing — in golf
  23. club — for golf
  24. wave — of the sea

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