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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. spring — the season
  3. chest — of your body
  4. current — of water
  5. swing — to play on
  6. current — happening now
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. field — farmland
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. field — a subject
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — a coil
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pit — in a race
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — for sport
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — of water
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. current — electric

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