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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: pop · fine · pitcher · wake · game · degree · lean · swing

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — an amount
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fine — all right
  6. swing — music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. swing — to play on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pop — music
  14. lean — thin
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pop — soda
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — temperature

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