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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: snap · wind · cue · swing · board · date · drill · tube

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. cue — a signal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. tube — the underground
  10. drill — the tool
  11. swing — music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — a container
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. swing — in golf
  24. tube — in a tire

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