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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: coach · swing · bulb · sharp · safe · degree · bowl · fine

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. degree — temperature
  16. sharp — clever
  17. degree — an amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. swing — in golf

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