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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. swing — in golf
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. race — the arms race
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — for sport
  9. swing — to play on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. race — humankind
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. field — farmland
  17. spell — magic
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. swing — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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