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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — to recline
  3. swing — to play on
  4. row — a line
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rule — a law
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rule — government
  21. court — of a king
  22. swing — music
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bulb — for light

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