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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. drill — the tool
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. swing — to play on
  10. board — a committee
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. swing — music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — for digging
  23. board — to get on
  24. kid — to tease

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