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

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rule — a law
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. swing — in golf
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. swing — to play on
  8. row — a line
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rule — government
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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