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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. swing — to play on
  10. drill — army training
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — the tool
  13. swing — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rock — to move gently

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