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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. swing — music
  3. land — ground
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rule — a law
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — a measure
  11. swing — to play on
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. land — a country
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rule — government
  22. land — to come down
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — belonging to me

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