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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. swing — to play on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. swing — music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. current — electric
  10. field — farmland
  11. charge — electricity
  12. snap — to click
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wake — a trail
  18. current — happening now
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. current — of water
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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