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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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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: date · ball · swing · cabinet · spring · saw · degree · pit

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a dance
  4. spring — a coil
  5. degree — an amount
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. swing — in golf
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. swing — music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spring — of water

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