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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. drill — army training
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — to play on
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. swing — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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