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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 120 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: suit · spring · shower · snap · last · swing · ball · drill

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ball — a great time
  3. last — finally
  4. spring — the season
  5. drill — army training
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. suit — in cards
  8. swing — music
  9. last — final
  10. drill — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. suit — to fit
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — a coil
  17. swing — in golf
  18. shower — rain
  19. suit — clothes
  20. drill — a practice
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spring — of water
  24. snap — to click

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