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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: board · rule · swing · stand · last · pass · spell · content

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. rule — government
  6. swing — music
  7. board — to get on
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. board — a committee
  11. content — happy
  12. spell — magic
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spell — letters
  17. stand — to bear
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rule — a law
  21. content — the amount
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. spell — a short time

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