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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. toast — bread
  3. suit — clothes
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — the earth
  7. court — for sport
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. suit — in cards
  10. band — a ring
  11. court — of law
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. board — to get on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a music group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. suit — to fit
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ground — a position
  24. court — of a king

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