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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. drill — army training
  3. spring — of water
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hand — in cards
  8. swing — music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. swing — in golf
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bat — the animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — help
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. can — to be able to
  24. hand — part of the body

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