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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. rock — music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rock — a stone
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. field — a subject
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. lean — thin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — for betting
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. swing — to play on
  23. field — for sport
  24. chip — to eat

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