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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — to confront
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — for sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. swing — music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rock — music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rock — a stone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. swing — in golf
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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