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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. net — after costs
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. toast — bread
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fall — to drop
  14. net — for catching
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. net — in sport
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. field — farmland
  20. capital — a city
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cue — for pool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fall — to drop

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