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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. season — of the year
  10. hand — help
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. swing — music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. swing — to play on
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — in sport
  19. field — for sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bass — the fish
  22. swing — in golf
  23. board — a committee
  24. hand — in cards

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