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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bulb — for light
  3. swing — in golf
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. file — a tool
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wake — a trail
  19. field — a subject
  20. swing — music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. file — a line of people
  23. race — a contest
  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