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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chip — for betting
  12. field — farmland
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — for sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — music
  24. field — a subject

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