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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: pound · swing · racket · lie · foot · saw · rush · field

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. field — a subject
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lie — to recline
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. swing — to play on
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — for sport
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rush — hurry

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