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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.

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: field · game · bear · arm · hand · perch · suit · swing

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. swing — music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — help
  9. game — a match
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — for sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. swing — in golf
  18. suit — to fit
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — in cards
  21. game — wild animals
  22. suit — clothes
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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