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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 · swing · rock · rule · spring · squash · mark · snap

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rule — a law
  4. mark — a trace
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rock — music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. swing — to play on
  9. snap — to click
  10. spring — the season
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spring — of water
  15. squash — the sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rule — government
  23. swing — music
  24. spring — a coil

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