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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: capital · calf · racket · deal · field · key · swing · mine

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. swing — music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. key — in music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. field — farmland
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — money
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — a subject
  24. capital — a city

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