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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 120 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: fine · wave · swing · last · wind · pop · present · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pop — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. last — finally
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — government
  13. last — final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. present — a gift
  18. last — to go on
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. pop — to visit
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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