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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · jam · face · foot · court · field · lash · kick

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. court — of law
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. field — a subject
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. swing — to play on
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — for sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. swing — music
  16. face — to confront
  17. kick — in football
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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