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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. swing — to play on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. swing — music
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. can — to be able to
  9. ground — the earth
  10. club — for golf
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — a position
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. snap — to click
  15. can — a tin
  16. tube — a container
  17. swing — in golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — a group
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — crushed
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — the month

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