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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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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: drill · racket · race · snap · hide · file · swing · face

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — to confront
  8. drill — army training
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a tool
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. snap — to click
  14. swing — to play on
  15. drill — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. file — a document
  18. face — part of the head
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a line of people
  21. drill — a practice
  22. race — humankind
  23. face — to point toward
  24. swing — in golf

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