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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. deal — to handle
  3. field — a subject
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. field — farmland
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. field — for sport
  11. swing — music
  12. toast — bread
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. swing — to play on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. lash — an eyelash

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