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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. swing — music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. drill — army training
  5. board — a committee
  6. drill — a practice
  7. kid — child
  8. swing — to play on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kid — to tease
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. perch — the fish
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. date — the fruit
  19. swing — in golf
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cue — a hint
  22. board — to get on
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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