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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 116 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: cap · calf · rule · hand · swing · wind · march · hide

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rule — a law
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. swing — in golf
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hand — help
  18. rule — government
  19. march — music
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hide — animal skin

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