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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. drill — army training
  3. spell — letters
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. swing — in golf
  6. spell — magic
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — not warm
  9. swing — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — a stone
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rock — music
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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