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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. firm — a company
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. swing — music
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. ball — a great time
  8. firm — decided
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. field — a subject
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stem — to come from
  13. field — farmland
  14. pass — a permit
  15. kick — in football
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. field — for sport
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. firm — steady
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ball — a dance

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