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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. date — the fruit
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rule — government
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. capital — a city
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rule — a law
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. capital — money

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