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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. board — to get on
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. court — for sport
  9. toast — bread
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a ring
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. board — a committee
  20. band — a music group
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. sharp — clever

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