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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. board — a committee
  3. court — of law
  4. mug — a face
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — for sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mug — to rob
  10. net — in sport
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. present — there
  16. court — of a king
  17. rule — a law
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mug — a cup
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rule — government

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