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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: rule · rush · ground · swing · date · field · craft · can

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rule — a law
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. field — a subject
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rule — government
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ground — a position
  13. field — farmland
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. craft — boats
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — crushed
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. swing — to play on
  23. can — to be able to
  24. craft — a handicraft

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