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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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 — for sport
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — a cup
  11. present — there
  12. bass — the fish
  13. board — a committee
  14. court — of law
  15. board — to get on
  16. swing — to play on
  17. field — a subject
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bass — low music
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — farmland
  22. swing — music
  23. kick — in football
  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