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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. scale — size or range
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kick — in football
  7. cell — a phone
  8. swing — music
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — farmland
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cell — in biology
  20. scale — in music
  21. field — a subject
  22. swing — to play on
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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