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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rule — government
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. swing — music
  11. press — to push
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spell — letters
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rule — a law
  19. swing — in golf
  20. spell — magic
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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