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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of law
  5. chest — a box
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — of a king
  9. bulb — for light
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stem — to come from
  12. court — for sport
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. board — a committee
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. march — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — child
  24. chest — of your body

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