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

Word bank: firm · field · swing · lean · dip · snap · cold · stick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — farmland
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — thin
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. firm — decided
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lean — to bend
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. snap — to click
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — for sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cold — not warm
  22. field — a subject
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cold — an illness

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