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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. swing — in golf
  4. suit — in cards
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — a subject
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. swing — to play on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fine — high quality
  16. last — finally
  17. cold — not warm
  18. field — farmland
  19. last — to go on
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. last — final
  22. swing — music
  23. current — happening now
  24. suit — to fit

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