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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: squash · wind · rule · ruler · swing · march

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rule — a law
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wind — moving air
  8. march — the month
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rule — government
  12. march — music
  13. swing — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — the month
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wind — moving air

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