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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. tear — to rip
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mark — a grade
  19. content — happy
  20. pitch — completely
  21. board — a committee
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. content — the amount
  24. board — to get on

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