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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.

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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: chest · deal · object · bat · swing · pop · club · degree

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. degree — temperature
  3. swing — music
  4. object — a thing
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. pop — to visit
  17. object — to protest
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. object — an aim
  21. degree — from a university
  22. swing — to play on
  23. deal — to handle
  24. club — for dancing

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