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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 · rule · hide · race · stick · can

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rule — government
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — humankind
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — a law
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. hide — to keep secret

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