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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. season — of the year
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. court — of a king
  15. tear — to rip
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. season — in sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. board — to get on
  20. bound — certain
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. temple — a place of worship

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