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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. firm — steady
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. field — a subject
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. field — for sport
  14. file — a tool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. firm — decided
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. field — farmland
  23. firm — a company
  24. bat — the animal

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