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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · kick · bass · rash · date · drill · swing · can

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. drill — the tool
  3. date — the fruit
  4. kick — in football
  5. can — a tin
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — army training
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. swing — to play on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. swing — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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