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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: kid · rule · fall · cap · board · game · pass · wave

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pass — a permit
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. rule — government
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. game — a match
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rule — a law

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