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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. drill — a practice
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — army training
  7. pop — music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. track — a song
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. swing — to play on
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. track — a path
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. sharp — clever

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