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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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 — of law
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pound — a weight
  17. chip — to eat
  18. capital — a city
  19. board — a committee
  20. row — a line
  21. capital — money
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  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