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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. swing — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — government
  8. mug — a face
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mug — to rob
  14. branch — a division
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rule — a law
  20. cue — for pool
  21. band — a music group
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a ring
  24. swing — in golf

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