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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lean — thin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. field — farmland
  6. root — the cause
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. face — to confront
  10. root — of a word
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bass — low music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — a subject
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. field — for sport
  22. root — of a plant
  23. swing — music
  24. lean — to bend

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