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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. field — for sport
  3. swing — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — farmland
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — a subject
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — money
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. swing — in golf
  19. present — a gift
  20. spell — magic
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mouse — for a computer

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