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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. court — of law
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mug — a cup
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mug — a face
  8. file — a tool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. board — to get on
  11. court — for sport
  12. board — a committee
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stock — shares
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. court — of a king
  19. rock — music
  20. file — a document
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stock — goods
  23. swing — music
  24. file — a line of people

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