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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bank — for money
  3. rule — government
  4. march — the month
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — to confront
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bound — certain
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bank — for money
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bound — obliged
  19. face — part of the head
  20. swing — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bowl — a football final

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