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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — for sport
  5. club — a group
  6. lean — thin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. club — for golf
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rash — a series
  11. capital — money
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. capital — a city
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. field — a subject
  19. swing — to play on
  20. date — the fruit
  21. field — farmland
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — music

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