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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: mark · hide · last · content · field · ground · jam · swing

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — to go on
  5. swing — music
  6. last — finally
  7. content — happy
  8. field — a subject
  9. swing — in golf
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ground — the earth
  14. field — farmland
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. last — final
  18. swing — to play on
  19. content — the amount
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — crushed
  22. field — for sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ground — a position

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