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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — a practice
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mine — for digging
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. club — a group
  7. spell — magic
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. club — for dancing
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bass — low music
  17. club — for golf
  18. spell — letters
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. swing — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the instrument

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