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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — from a university
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. swing — to play on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitch — completely
  13. vault — a safe
  14. degree — an amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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