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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. firm — decided
  3. pop — music
  4. squash — to crush
  5. field — farmland
  6. ground — the earth
  7. firm — steady
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. swing — to play on
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ground — crushed
  14. current — of water
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — a subject
  20. pop — soda
  21. ground — a position
  22. field — for sport
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — the tool

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