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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. firm — a company
  4. craft — boats
  5. capital — a city
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. shower — to wash
  12. firm — steady
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. swing — music
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. firm — decided
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. capital — money
  21. shower — rain
  22. craft — a skill
  23. kick — in football
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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