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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: pass · club · rule · board · kid · wave

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rule — a law
  3. board — a committee
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. kid — to tease
  7. board — to get on
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. club — for dancing
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rule — government
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. board — a flat piece

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