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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: mate · swing · rule · chair · wind · board · deal · game

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. rule — a law
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rule — government
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. board — to get on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rule — to rule out

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