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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 120 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: pass · board · season · current · bark · rule · racket · land

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. board — a committee
  3. land — ground
  4. board — to get on
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — a country
  11. current — happening now
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rule — government
  14. land — to come down
  15. current — electric
  16. bark — to shout
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. current — of water

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