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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mark — a grade
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. last — to go on
  6. swing — music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — final
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a ring
  16. last — finally
  17. swing — in golf
  18. band — a music group
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mark — a trace
  24. nail — for a hammer

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