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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. scale — size or range
  4. board — a committee
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — of a king
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — to get on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. scale — in music
  24. court — of law

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