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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
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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: safe · swing · sharp · file · field · snap · date · ground

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — crushed
  3. swing — in golf
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. date — the fruit
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. file — a line of people
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. snap — to click
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. swing — music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ground — a position
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. field — farmland
  24. sharp — clever

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