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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 120 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. swing — in golf
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. content — happy
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mug — a face
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mug — a cup
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mug — to rob
  13. content — the amount
  14. row — to paddle
  15. field — a subject
  16. row — a line
  17. chip — to eat
  18. field — for sport
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. swing — music
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pit — a hole

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