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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fork — in a road
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spring — of water
  8. swing — music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. bound — certain
  13. field — a subject
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bound — tied together
  16. field — farmland
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wave — of the sea

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