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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · fall · bat · rash · drill · swing · pop · chest

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. drill — army training
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rash — a series
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rash — hasty

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