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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: bowl · swing · chair · rule · straw · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rule — government
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. swing — music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rule — a law

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