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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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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. field — for sport
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stock — shares
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — farmland
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. current — happening now
  15. kid — child
  16. stock — goods
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. current — of water
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. swing — in golf
  23. field — a subject
  24. court — of a king

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