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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. field — farmland
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitch — completely
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. court — for sport
  18. swing — music
  19. court — of law
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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