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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — farmland
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. degree — from a university
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — music
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. squash — to crush
  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