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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: roll · fan · object · present · kid · lash · field · swing

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. swing — music
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. object — a thing
  7. field — farmland
  8. roll — a list
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. kid — child
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. field — a subject
  16. roll — a cake
  17. swing — to play on
  18. object — to protest
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. field — for sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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