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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
468
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: rash · swing · safe · mine · cold · shower · degree · rock

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rock — music
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. cold — not warm
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — for digging
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. swing — to play on
  24. safe — out of danger

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