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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 116 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: degree · suit · hand · swing · bound · scale · racket · press

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hand — help
  3. press — to push
  4. swing — music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. scale — in music
  7. degree — an amount
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bound — certain
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — temperature
  15. press — a publisher
  16. hand — in cards
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — from a university
  20. swing — in golf
  21. press — newspapers
  22. suit — to fit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. racket — for tennis

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