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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. swing — in golf
  6. key — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. swing — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — music
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. key — for a lock
  18. march — the month
  19. field — farmland
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — for sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. swing — to play on
  24. field — a subject

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