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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 · wind · rule · lean · game · key · mate · firm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lean — thin
  3. key — in music
  4. game — a match
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rule — government
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. lean — to bend
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. key — the most important part
  12. firm — decided
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wind — moving air
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rule — a law
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rule — to rule out

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