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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: foot · swing · date · degree · cap · deal · bay · bat

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. deal — to handle
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. swing — in golf
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. date — the fruit
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. swing — music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — a hat

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