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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: lean · lash · bat · swing · degree · pop · mate · deal

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. swing — music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lean — thin
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pop — soda
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — the animal

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