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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rush — hurry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — of a king
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. track — to keep track
  14. spell — letters
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spell — magic
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. court — for sport
  24. rush — a thrill

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