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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. firm — a company
  5. swing — to play on
  6. file — a line of people
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. swing — music
  10. file — a tool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. firm — decided
  13. ground — the earth
  14. firm — steady
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a document
  24. ground — crushed

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