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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. swing — in golf
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mug — a face
  22. swing — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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