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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 120 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 · swing · drill · hide · foot · face · bound · squash

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. face — part of the head
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. swing — in golf
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. drill — army training
  13. swing — music
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. face — to confront
  19. rule — government
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. squash — to crush
  24. swing — to play on

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