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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 · racket · season · shower · plane · field · bulb · pitch

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. field — for sport
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bulb — for light
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. shower — rain
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — a subject
  23. swing — to play on
  24. shower — to wash

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