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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: wind · swing · pass · object · bound · kid · pop · ruler

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kid — child
  5. swing — in golf
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pop — soda
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bound — tied together
  10. object — to protest
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wind — moving air
  13. object — a thing
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — an aim
  24. 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