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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: swing · court · cell · field · bay · roll · racket · lash

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cell — in biology
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — for sport
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. court — for sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. roll — a cake
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. court — of law
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — a subject
  20. court — of a king
  21. swing — music
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. swing — to play on
  24. roll — a list

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