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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: swing · pit · plane · rule · wake · wind

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — a tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rule — a law
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — a hole
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rule — government

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