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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. swing — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — farmland
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — of water
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — a group
  12. spring — a coil
  13. swing — to play on
  14. last — finally
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. swing — in golf
  17. club — for golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — a subject
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. field — for sport
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. perch — the fish

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