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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: wind · toast · ruler · spell · rule · row · club · foot

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rule — government
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. rule — a law
  9. club — a group
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spell — letters
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spell — magic
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — a line
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — for golf
  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