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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 ________________ the meat?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — a group
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — of the year
  10. rock — a stone
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of law
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rock — music
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. board — a flat piece

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