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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 120 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: last · spell · pop · kick · ball · pound · swing · degree

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. last — final
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pop — music
  7. swing — music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — soda
  11. last — to go on
  12. spell — letters
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pound — a weight
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. last — finally
  19. degree — an amount
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ball — a great time
  23. kick — in football
  24. spell — a short time

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