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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: row · degree · swing · wake · rule · calf · can · pop

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pop — music
  5. degree — an amount
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — soda
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. row — a line
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rule — government
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pop — to visit
  19. swing — in golf
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rule — a law

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