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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 · rule · capital · squash · swing · kid · hide · wave

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kid — child
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — music
  6. rule — a law
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rule — government
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pass — a permit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. capital — a city
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. kid — to tease
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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