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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. craft — a skill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. swing — music
  11. stand — to bear
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. row — a line
  15. bound — certain
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bound — tied together
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rule — a law
  22. craft — boats
  23. rule — government
  24. stand — on your feet

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