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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.

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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: stand · chair · swing · mark · drill · club · content · field

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. swing — music
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mark — a trace
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. drill — army training
  9. content — the amount
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. mark — a grade
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. club — for golf
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. field — for sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. content — happy
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — a practice
  23. field — a subject
  24. stand — on your feet

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