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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 116 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fall — to drop
  4. field — farmland
  5. bark — to shout
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. swing — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. current — happening now
  12. snap — to click
  13. current — electric
  14. field — for sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. dip — to sink
  17. swing — to play on
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. current — of water
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. field — a subject
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fall — the season
  24. dip — a sauce

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