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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: lean · swing · field · game · mug · current · ground · sharp

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. swing — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. field — a subject
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ground — a position
  10. lean — to bend
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ground — the earth
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mug — a face
  16. current — electric
  17. swing — to play on
  18. ground — crushed
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — farmland
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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