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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — of water
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. current — electric
  7. hand — in cards
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. drill — army training
  10. fork — in a road
  11. swing — in golf
  12. drill — a practice
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. current — happening now
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. field — a subject
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. hand — help
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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