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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 · saw · squash · deal · present · rule

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. swing — music
  3. rule — government
  4. squash — the sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — to crush
  8. present — a gift
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. present — there
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — the time now
  18. deal — to handle

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