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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: bulb · sharp · swing · march · drill · rash · jam · deal

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rash — a series
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. swing — to play on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rash — hasty
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. drill — army training
  24. sharp — clever

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