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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: rule · chest · cue · fan · nail · bound · firm · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rule — a law
  4. firm — a company
  5. swing — music
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bound — tied together
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bound — certain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rule — government
  24. fan — a supporter

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