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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. swing — music
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. field — farmland
  7. root — the cause
  8. chest — of your body
  9. root — of a word
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chest — a box
  12. field — a subject
  13. root — of a plant
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. swing — to play on
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chair — a leader

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