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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 120 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. current — electric
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bound — certain
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. field — farmland
  24. fan — a supporter

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