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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 116 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rule — a law
  4. saw — the tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rule — government
  16. board — a committee
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. court — of law
  20. swing — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. swing — to play on
  23. band — a music group
  24. board — a flat piece

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