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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. tube — the underground
  3. court — of a king
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mug — to rob
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. date — the fruit
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mug — a cup
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mug — a face
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — happy
  22. chip — to eat
  23. tube — a container
  24. chip — for betting

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