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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. field — for sport
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. field — a subject
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pound — a weight
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. deal — to handle
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. swing — in golf

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