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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: mate · spring · deal · march · ground · lie · swing · rule

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. swing — in golf
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — a law
  7. deal — to handle
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. swing — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. march — music
  18. mate — a partner
  19. spring — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rule — government
  22. lie — to recline
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — a position

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