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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: sharp · field · stock · drill · scale · rest · jam · swing

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rest — a break
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. field — farmland
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — size or range
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. drill — a practice
  10. field — a subject
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stock — shares
  17. drill — army training
  18. rest — what's left
  19. swing — music
  20. field — for sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. rest — what's left

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