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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — for golf
  3. field — a subject
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — in sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — farmland
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rest — a break
  22. drill — the tool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — for sport

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