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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: safe · firm · club · game · rock · pop · wound · degree

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. degree — an amount
  5. firm — steady
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. degree — from a university
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. rock — a stone
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. club — for dancing
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. firm — a company
  17. club — for golf
  18. firm — decided
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. club — a group
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. game — wild animals
  24. degree — temperature

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