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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bass — low music
  5. board — a committee
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — of a king
  8. spell — magic
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — help
  11. bass — the fish
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. board — to get on
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ball — a dance
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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