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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. board — a committee
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — clothes
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. suit — in cards
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. court — for sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. board — to get on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — a line
  23. court — of a king
  24. hand — help

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