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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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Word bank
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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: mark · foot · cold · rule · hand · pitcher · bass · swing

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bass — the fish

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