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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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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: rule · arm · last · press · wound · season · swing · ruler

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — to push
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — final
  9. swing — in golf
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rule — government
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — in sport
  22. rule — a law
  23. swing — music
  24. ruler — a monarch

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