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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bulb — for light
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. swing — to play on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. field — for sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — help
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — a subject
  24. foot — a measure

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