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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. drill — the tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. net — after costs
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — a list
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. net — in sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. swing — in golf
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. net — for catching
  21. swing — music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. drill — army training
  24. roll — on a roll

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