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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. swing — music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fork — in a road
  16. field — farmland
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — help
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — in golf

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