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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: fan · snap · squash · hide · lie · drill · rock · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. swing — music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rock — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to click
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — army training
  20. rock — a stone
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — animal 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