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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. chest — a box
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fine — all right
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. swing — to play on
  15. board — to get on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. board — a committee
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. swing — music
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chest — of your body

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