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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: cold · swing · land · drill · rush · cabinet · wake · ball

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. land — to come down
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. land — ground
  16. drill — army training
  17. ball — a great time
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — not warm
  24. swing — music

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