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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. drill — army training
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — music
  7. object — to protest
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — an aim
  11. track — to keep track
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — to rip
  18. snap — to click
  19. track — a song
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — to play on
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. object — a thing
  24. drill — the tool

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