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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kick — in football
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. court — for sport
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. board — to get on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. board — a committee
  24. game — a match

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