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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · swing · tear · field · last · kick · file · sharp

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. swing — to play on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. last — final
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. file — a document
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. field — farmland
  15. can — a tin
  16. kick — in football
  17. sharp — clever
  18. field — a subject
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. last — finally
  24. can — to be able to

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