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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — farmland
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rule — a law
  8. field — a subject
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rule — government
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. last — finally
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. last — final

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