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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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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: cabinet · pass · hand · present · bowl · field · swing · mark

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. swing — to play on
  7. present — a gift
  8. swing — music
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — farmland
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. field — for sport
  18. present — the time now
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. present — there
  22. field — a subject
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bowl — to roll

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