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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. perch — the fish
  6. court — for sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. swing — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chest — a box
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. board — a committee
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cabinet — ministers

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