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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · lean · ground · swing · net · rule · wave · roll

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rule — a law
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rule — government
  8. ground — the earth
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. net — in sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. net — for catching
  14. roll — a list
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ground — crushed
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. swing — music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. ground — a position
  23. net — after costs
  24. key — in music

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