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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 116 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: cue · swing · wake · squash · lie · club · pit · field

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cue — for pool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. club — for golf
  10. pit — a hole
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. club — a group
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pit — in a race
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. swing — music

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