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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. court — for sport
  3. kid — to tease
  4. present — there
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. court — of a king
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — boats
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fall — the season
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. kid — child
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. board — to get on
  19. present — the time now
  20. roll — a list
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. court — of law
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — for digging

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