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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. swing — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. last — final
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a great time
  11. swing — to play on
  12. last — finally
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. swing — in golf
  17. current — of water
  18. drill — army training
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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