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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. field — for sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. root — the cause
  5. swing — music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. root — of a plant
  9. current — electric
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. swing — in golf
  13. march — the month
  14. field — a subject
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. present — there
  17. root — of a word
  18. march — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. current — of water
  21. kick — in football
  22. march — the month
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. field — farmland

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