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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 · cap · foot · pound · cold · degree · mate · row

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. row — to paddle
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. swing — music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cap — a lid
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cap — a hat
  19. degree — temperature
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. swing — to play on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cold — an illness

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