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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — in cards
  3. court — of a king
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — to come down
  8. board — a committee
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a hole
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. court — of law
  20. hand — help
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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