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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.

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: degree · clip · pop · mouse · field · cap · squash · swing

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. swing — in golf
  3. field — a subject
  4. swing — music
  5. squash — to crush
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cap — a lid
  14. field — farmland
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pop — soda
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pop — music
  21. cap — a hat
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cap — of ice

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