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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 124 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. club — for golf
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — of a river
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — of the year
  7. swing — in golf
  8. fall — the season
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. club — a group
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. swing — music
  17. season — in sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. drill — army training
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for dancing
  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