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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 · swing · pit · root · chip · mug · shower · bass

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. field — farmland
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bass — low music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — rain
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mug — a cup
  15. root — the cause
  16. mug — a face
  17. root — of a word
  18. mug — to rob
  19. shower — to wash
  20. root — of a plant
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chip — for betting

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