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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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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: club · saw · chair · pass · arm · kick · field · swing

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. field — farmland
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. field — a subject
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. club — for dancing
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. field — for sport
  19. kick — in football
  20. club — for golf
  21. swing — music
  22. club — a group
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. saw — the tool

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