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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 120 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mate — a partner
  4. court — of a king
  5. track — a song
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mate — a friend
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. present — a gift
  10. court — of law
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. board — to get on
  13. present — there
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. board — a committee
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. track — a path
  18. present — the time now
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — a line
  21. court — for sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. row — to paddle
  24. track — to keep track

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