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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · field · file · sharp · current · roll · coach · rash

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. swing — in golf
  4. current — happening now
  5. roll — a cake
  6. sharp — clever
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — a subject
  14. file — a document
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. file — a tool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — farmland
  20. current — electric
  21. rash — hasty
  22. swing — music
  23. roll — a list
  24. current — of water

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