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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — a subject
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to click
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. swing — to play on
  9. field — for sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. board — a committee
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. scale — size or range
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. field — farmland
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. swing — music
  23. board — to get on
  24. scale — in 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