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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. swing — music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stand — to bear
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. swing — to play on
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. march — the month
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. swing — in golf
  22. drill — army training
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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