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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bank — of a river
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. field — farmland
  6. band — a ring
  7. bank — for money
  8. swing — to play on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bank — for money
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — music
  17. snap — to click
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — a match
  21. field — a subject
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — to keep secret

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