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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fork — in a road
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. club — a group
  12. charge — in control
  13. field — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. swing — music
  23. club — for golf
  24. field — farmland

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