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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — a subject
  10. swing — to play on
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — music
  13. club — a group
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. club — for golf
  19. fine — all right
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. swing — in golf

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