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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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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: foot · fine · fan · swing · rule · content · last · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — final
  9. content — happy
  10. rule — government
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rule — a law
  15. foot — a measure
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lean — to bend
  21. swing — music
  22. fine — all right
  23. swing — to play on
  24. foot — the bottom

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