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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: firm · field · scale · snap · swing · kid · race · toast

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. swing — music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. firm — decided
  11. kid — child
  12. race — humankind
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — for sport
  17. toast — bread
  18. firm — steady
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — a company

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