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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. current — of water
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. board — to get on
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — of a king
  23. face — part of the head
  24. current — happening now

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