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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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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: swing · bowl · staff · field · cap · mug · mate · hand

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — help
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a face
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — farmland
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cap — a hat
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — in cards
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. mug — a cup
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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