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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a line
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rash — a series
  6. bass — low music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. file — a tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. file — a line of people
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. suit — in cards
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. file — a document
  22. row — to paddle
  23. suit — to fit
  24. rash — on the skin

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