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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. stand — to bear
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — part of the head
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pound — a weight
  12. swing — in golf
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. row — a line
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rule — a law
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — music

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