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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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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: swing · rule · shower · fine · wound · club · board · rush

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rule — government
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rush — hurry
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rule — a law
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. shower — to wash
  10. club — for golf
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. club — for dancing
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — music
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. fine — high quality
  23. swing — in golf
  24. shower — rain

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