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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. field — farmland
  3. swing — to play on
  4. field — for sport
  5. plane — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. field — a subject
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. scale — size or range
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. scale — for weighing

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