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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 116 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: track · swing · chair · stem · rule · deal

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. track — a path
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — government
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stem — to come from
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stem — of a plant

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