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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 120 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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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: mark · hand · bank · cap · field · swing · suit · rule

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cap — a lid
  7. swing — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. suit — in cards
  10. hand — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bank — for money
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — help
  20. rule — a law
  21. cap — of ice
  22. suit — clothes
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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