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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: key · pop · rest · wound · swing · degree · mug · straw

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. swing — music
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mug — a face
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pop — soda
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — a break
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rest — what's left
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — music

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