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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. suit — in cards
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pop — soda
  8. file — a document
  9. suit — clothes
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — music
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rule — government
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. rule — a law
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. kid — to tease
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. swing — to play on

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