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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: hand · file · field · squash · bowl · racket · swing · hide

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. field — farmland
  6. swing — to play on
  7. squash — to crush
  8. file — a document
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hand — help
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — in cards
  15. file — a tool
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. swing — music
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — to keep secret

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