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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: lean · rule · pit · pop · row · fall · swing · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fall — the season
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — a law
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pop — music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pit — in a race
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rule — government
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — to visit
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — soda
  24. swing — 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