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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: club · can · ball · cap · swing · lean · degree · kid

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. swing — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cap — of ice
  15. club — for golf
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kid — child
  19. cap — a hat
  20. can — a tin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — an amount

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