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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. swing — in golf
  3. firm — decided
  4. current — electric
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. field — farmland
  11. current — happening now
  12. hand — in cards
  13. swing — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. snap — to click
  16. field — a subject
  17. swing — to play on
  18. firm — a company
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. firm — steady
  21. field — for sport
  22. current — of water
  23. dip — to sink
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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