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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. court — of a king
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chest — a box
  7. cold — an illness
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. firm — steady
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — of law
  14. firm — decided
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. firm — a company
  18. court — for sport

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