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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: straw · swing · bowl · saw · rule · ruler

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rule — a law
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — government
  18. ruler — for measuring

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