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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. file — a tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a line of people
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. swing — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. field — a subject
  12. staff — employees
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — the sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a document
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. swing — in golf
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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