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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — a committee
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. hand — in cards
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. board — to get on
  12. court — of law
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. shower — rain
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. hand — help
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. court — of a king

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