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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: snap · mug · saw · race · ground · fork · rule · swing

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. swing — in golf
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rule — government
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mug — a face
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. race — a contest
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. race — humankind
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. snap — to click
  21. mug — a cup
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rule — to rule out
  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