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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: rest · drill · rash · swing · cue · hide · snap · chair

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. swing — music
  7. drill — army training
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rest — a break
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — a hint
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — in golf
  24. drill — a practice

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