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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 · land · roll · mouse · saw · fall · ruler · snap

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. land — a country
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. roll — a cake
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. roll — a list
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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