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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cold — not warm
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rule — government
  5. root — the cause
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. drill — army training
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. root — of a word
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. swing — music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rule — a law
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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