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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — in a road
  5. board — to get on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. board — a committee
  11. court — for sport
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hand — help
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. hand — in cards

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