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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 · drill · rock · stick · field · saw · cell · last

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. field — for sport
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — to go on
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. swing — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. last — finally
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. drill — army training
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. last — final
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. swing — to play on
  21. drill — a practice
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rock — music

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