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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. drill — army training
  3. swing — to play on
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — a practice
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rash — a series

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