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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: rest · degree · pop · bore · can · club · swing · spell

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spell — magic
  3. degree — an amount
  4. club — for golf
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rest — a break
  8. spell — a short time
  9. can — a tin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pop — to visit
  13. swing — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spell — letters
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pop — music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. club — a group
  20. degree — temperature
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — in golf

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