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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 · bat · land · cap · mark · chair · face

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rule — government
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. land — ground
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. face — to confront
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — music
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rule — a law

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