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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. field — farmland
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — the fruit
  8. can — to be able to
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. field — for sport
  13. club — for golf
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. club — a group
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. can — a tin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. date — on the calendar

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