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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. face — part of the head
  3. swing — music
  4. current — electric
  5. tube — the underground
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. field — a subject
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. band — a ring
  11. face — to confront
  12. plane — a tool
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — a match
  16. band — a music group
  17. current — happening now
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — a container
  20. face — to point toward
  21. field — farmland
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. field — for sport
  24. current — of water

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