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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — of ice
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. face — to confront
  8. charge — in control
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — to point toward
  13. charge — a price
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. swing — in golf
  16. perch — the fish
  17. swing — to play on
  18. charge — electricity
  19. face — part of the head
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cap — a lid

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