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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: swing · current · dip · hide · field · arm · lie · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — for sport
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. field — a subject
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — farmland

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