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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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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: spell · game · swing · chest · jam · board · rule · bore

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bore — to drill
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a match
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. chest — a box
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. spell — letters
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. swing — music
  24. spell — a short time

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