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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. club — for golf
  3. spell — letters
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spell — magic
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — farmland
  8. staff — employees
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. club — a group
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — a subject
  18. spell — a short time
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bulb — for light
  22. club — for dancing
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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