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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 · deal · field · board · straw · arm · plane · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. field — a subject
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. board — to get on
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — farmland
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. swing — music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. board — a committee
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. plane — in geometry

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