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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ground — crushed
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. squash — to crush
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. swing — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stand — to bear
  11. swing — in golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. field — for sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. field — farmland
  22. chair — a leader
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ground — the earth

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