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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 120 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: file · ground · rush · field · arm · swing · sharp · lean

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. lean — to bend
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — in golf
  6. file — a tool
  7. swing — to play on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rush — hurry
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. field — a subject
  16. swing — music
  17. field — farmland
  18. ground — a position
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. file — a document
  23. lean — thin
  24. field — for sport

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