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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — all right
  4. swing — music
  5. field — a subject
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. key — the most important part
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tube — a container
  16. prune — to trim
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cue — a signal
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cue — for pool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fine — a penalty

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