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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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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 · capital · file · sharp · degree · toast · date · rock

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. file — a document
  3. rock — a stone
  4. file — a line of people
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. capital — a city
  7. file — a tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. swing — in golf
  16. capital — money
  17. sharp — clever
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rock — music
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. date — on the calendar

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