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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: sharp · lash · field · stick · bat · scale · march · swing

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. field — a subject
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. march — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. field — farmland
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. swing — music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — the month
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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