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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: wave · rule · foot · pop · swing · present · cold · lie

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — a law
  5. pop — music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. foot — a measure
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. present — there
  16. swing — music
  17. rule — government
  18. present — the time now
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lie — to recline
  24. present — a gift

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