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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: stand · net · pop · rule · swing · date · wax · game

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pop — music
  8. net — after costs
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rule — a law
  12. pop — soda
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. net — for catching
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. net — in sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pop — to visit
  20. swing — music
  21. game — a match
  22. stand — to bear
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wax — in the ear

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