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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. file — a tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. swing — music
  7. present — there
  8. branch — a division
  9. present — a gift
  10. rest — a break
  11. land — to come down
  12. field — a subject
  13. swing — to play on
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — farmland
  20. file — a document
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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