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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fine — all right
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. drill — a practice
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rule — a law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. season — in sport
  11. swing — music
  12. season — of the year
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. band — a music group
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — army training
  21. band — a ring
  22. rule — government
  23. scale — in music
  24. fine — a penalty

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