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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. current — of water
  3. land — a country
  4. foot — a measure
  5. court — of a king
  6. mark — a trace
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. land — ground
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. current — happening now
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. land — to come down
  17. court — of law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — electric
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. court — for sport
  24. pound — for dogs

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