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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. swing — to play on
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cold — not warm
  5. swing — in golf
  6. drill — the tool
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. net — in sport
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cold — an illness
  12. drill — a practice
  13. net — for catching
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. net — after costs
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. swing — music
  24. dip — a sauce

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