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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. court — of law
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. board — a committee
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. charge — a price
  10. saw — the tool
  11. charge — in control
  12. craft — a skill
  13. drill — army training
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stand — to bear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. craft — boats
  24. content — the amount

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