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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rule — government
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. land — ground
  6. rule — a law
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — to come down
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cue — a hint
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bat — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. degree — from a university
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cue — for pool
  21. snap — to click
  22. rest — a break
  23. land — a country
  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