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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cell — in biology
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bank — of a river
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. field — for sport
  9. ball — a dance
  10. swing — music
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. swing — in golf
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — a phone
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bank — for money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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