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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: rush · drill · sharp · swing · bound · cabinet · wake · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — in golf
  4. drill — army training
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kid — child
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — clever
  13. drill — a practice
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. swing — to play on
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  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