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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. court — of a king
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — ground
  11. court — of law
  12. land — a country
  13. fine — high quality
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a committee
  19. court — for sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. fine — all right
  22. plane — a tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. board — to get on

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