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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. drill — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hand — help
  5. swing — music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — from a university
  18. swing — to play on
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. drill — army training
  22. fall — the season
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — an amount

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