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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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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: plane · fall · field · kid · swing · roll · temple · pit

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. kid — child
  5. roll — a cake
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pit — in a race
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. field — farmland
  11. kid — to tease
  12. roll — a list
  13. pit — a hole
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fall — the season
  16. plane — a tool
  17. field — a subject
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fall — to drop
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. field — for sport
  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