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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: tube · field · bat · swing · lie · deal · club · bowl

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tube — the underground
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. tube — a container
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. field — a subject
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. deal — to handle
  17. field — farmland
  18. swing — to play on
  19. club — for dancing
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. field — for sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. club — for golf
  24. lie — an untruth

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