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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: swing · root · wind · board · rule · march · firm · game

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. march — music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. game — a match
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a word
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. root — the cause
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — a law
  16. march — the month
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. swing — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. firm — steady
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. swing — to play on

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