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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rule — a law
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rule — government
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. swing — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — a container
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to click
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. tube — the underground
  21. march — music
  22. spell — magic
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bark — of a tree

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