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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: swing · drill · bowl · board · file · pit · stem · cue

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. drill — the tool
  3. board — to get on
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. file — a line of people
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pit — in a race
  11. swing — music
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — army training
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. file — a tool
  18. swing — to play on
  19. file — a document
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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