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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. board — a committee
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. court — for sport
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cold — not warm
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cell — a phone
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. court — of a king
  13. craft — a skill
  14. present — the time now
  15. craft — boats
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. board — to get on
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. present — a gift
  23. cell — in biology
  24. court — of law

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