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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: swing · wind · can · last · safe · row · bass · rule

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — to paddle
  3. last — finally
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. last — to go on
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. swing — to play on
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — government
  12. last — final
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. can — a tin
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — a line
  21. swing — music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. rule — a law

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