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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: bore · cell · rule · wave · kid · swing · game · season

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kid — child
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bore — to tire
  17. game — a match
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. swing — music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. season — of the year
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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