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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. drill — the tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — an injury
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — clever
  18. swing — music
  19. field — farmland
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. drill — army training
  23. swing — to play on
  24. can — to be able to

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