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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · degree · swing · game · shower · land · plane · rush

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. swing — in golf
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. degree — an amount
  8. land — to come down
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. swing — music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. land — ground
  13. shower — to wash
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — a match
  16. pop — music
  17. shower — rain
  18. land — a country
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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