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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: hand · cap · rule · board · charge · face · ruler · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. board — a committee
  3. charge — in control
  4. cap — a hat
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. board — to get on
  8. charge — a price
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rule — a law
  13. cap — of ice
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — a lid
  16. face — to confront
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. charge — electricity
  19. swing — in golf
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rule — government
  23. hand — help
  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