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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rule — government
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. row — to paddle
  15. key — for a lock
  16. row — a line
  17. key — the most important part
  18. press — newspapers
  19. swing — music
  20. press — to push
  21. spell — letters
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. key — in 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