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

Word bank: rule · ground · wind · foot · swing · rest

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rest — a break
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rule — government
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ground — a position
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rule — a law
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed

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