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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. club — for golf
  3. board — a committee
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. row — a line
  7. board — to get on
  8. row — to paddle
  9. court — of a king
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cell — a phone
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — of law
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — to come down
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. club — for dancing
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. pit — a hole
  22. court — for sport
  23. cell — in biology
  24. club — a group

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