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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — to go on
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. spring — the season
  6. board — to get on
  7. rule — government
  8. board — a committee
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rule — a law
  11. court — of a king
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — finally
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of law
  17. spring — of water
  18. hand — help
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. march — music
  24. last — final

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