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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. board — a committee
  3. scale — in music
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. court — of law
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. board — to get on
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. court — for sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of a king
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spring — the season

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