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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: hide · bass · bound · lash · swing · rule · stick · wake

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. rule — a law
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bass — low music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bound — certain
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — the instrument

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