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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. board — a committee
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — of a king
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. court — for sport
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. board — to get on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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