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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rest — a break
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. field — farmland
  8. swing — music
  9. current — electric
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter

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