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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. roll — a list
  14. swing — to play on
  15. staff — employees
  16. roll — a cake
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. field — a subject
  22. fork — in a road
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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