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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. object — to protest
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. game — a match
  11. court — of law
  12. object — a thing
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — an aim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — to get on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. game — wild animals
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. court — of a king

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