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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. row — a line
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — a practice
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — the tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rule — government
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — the season
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. swing — music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. drill — army training
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rule — a law
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — to sink

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