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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: swing · fine · pass · band · squash · pitch · bowl · degree

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. squash — the sport
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a music group
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fine — all right
  17. band — a ring
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pass — a permit

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