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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
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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: swing · jam · bound · rush · game · cabinet · degree · spring

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spring — the season
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spring — of water
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — hurry
  8. swing — music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bound — certain
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. degree — temperature
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. game — wild animals
  20. degree — from a university
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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