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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. drill — army training
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — a song
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — a practice
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. charge — a price
  20. drill — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. charge — in control
  24. chest — a box

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