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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: field · date · mark · club · swing · mug · hand · fine

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. swing — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fine — high quality
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — a group
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hand — help
  10. swing — in golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fine — all right
  16. mark — a trace
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. hand — in cards

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