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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: rule · swing · wind · drill · wake · plane · club · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wake — a trail
  3. club — for golf
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. swing — music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. drill — a practice
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. swing — in golf
  15. drill — the tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. face — part of the head
  18. drill — army training
  19. swing — to play on
  20. club — a group
  21. rule — government
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — to point toward
  24. club — for dancing

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