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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · rule · pit · swing · hide · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rule — government
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wound — an injury
  6. toast — bread
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. swing — to play on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rule — a law
  16. pit — in a race
  17. swing — music
  18. hide — to keep secret

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