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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. band — a ring
  3. object — to protest
  4. swing — to play on
  5. object — an aim
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. swing — music
  11. lean — thin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. object — a thing
  14. bat — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. band — a music group
  18. lean — to bend

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