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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 116 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 · board · wave · club · kid · mouse · season · fork

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. club — for golf
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. board — to get on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. club — a group
  9. swing — in golf
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. swing — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. kid — child
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. season — in sport
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. kid — to tease

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