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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fine — all right
  6. swing — music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. swing — in golf
  9. sharp — clever
  10. board — to get on
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — for sport
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — of a king
  20. board — a committee
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — of law

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