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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. swing — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. pop — soda
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spell — letters
  7. object — a thing
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — a subject
  12. swing — in golf
  13. field — for sport
  14. date — the fruit
  15. object — to protest
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. object — an aim
  24. cabinet — ministers

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