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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. shower — to wash
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. roll — a list
  11. swing — in golf
  12. roll — a cake
  13. shower — rain
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. swing — to play on
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cap — of ice
  19. drill — a practice
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — a subject

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