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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.

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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: kick · stand · degree · bass · wound · bound · swing · snap

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. swing — in golf
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. degree — temperature
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. swing — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bound — obliged
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. snap — to click
  21. bound — certain
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kick — in football

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