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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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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: dip · snap · chair · squash · safe · swing · field · march

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. field — for sport
  4. swing — to play on
  5. field — a subject
  6. chair — a leader
  7. squash — to crush
  8. snap — to click
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. swing — in golf
  14. dip — to sink
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — farmland
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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