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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. field — farmland
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. rush — hurry
  10. swing — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitch — completely
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. field — a subject
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. swing — to play on

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