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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 120 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: fine · chest · kid · field · current · nail · swing · bass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. field — a subject
  2. chest — a box
  3. current — happening now
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. current — electric
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — farmland
  16. bass — the fish
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kid — child
  22. field — for sport
  23. swing — music
  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