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

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. drill — the tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. last — finally
  7. swing — to play on
  8. suit — to fit
  9. drill — army training
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. suit — in cards
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. last — final
  17. ball — a dance
  18. swing — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — in golf
  21. suit — clothes
  22. last — to go on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. drill — a practice

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