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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 · degree · rest · swing · drill · fan · mug · march

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mug — a cup
  3. swing — music
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. drill — a practice
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — army training
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. march — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. march — the month
  19. rest — what's left
  20. drill — the tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fan — a supporter

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