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

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bear — the animal
  3. present — there
  4. field — a subject
  5. swing — to play on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. present — the time now
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. field — farmland
  15. stock — goods
  16. field — for sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. swing — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. present — a gift

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