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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. field — for sport
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. saw — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. swing — to play on
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. swing — music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. deal — to handle
  18. field — a subject
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — in music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — size or range

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