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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · season · last · tube · bark · toast · court · swing

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. last — final
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. last — to go on
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. swing — to play on
  12. season — of the year
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — a practice
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. season — in sport
  18. drill — army training
  19. toast — bread
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — of law
  22. swing — music
  23. court — of a king
  24. last — finally

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