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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. swing — in golf
  3. ball — a dance
  4. swing — to play on
  5. staff — employees
  6. board — to get on
  7. stand — to bear
  8. court — of a king
  9. staff — employees
  10. board — a committee
  11. band — a ring
  12. court — for sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. swing — music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. staff — a stick

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