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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 · track · pop · bay · degree · snap · rush · rest

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pop — music
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rest — a break
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — an amount
  12. swing — music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. track — a path
  17. pop — soda
  18. degree — temperature
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to click
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — from a university

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