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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fall — the season
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. field — a subject
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — music
  13. board — to get on
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — the month
  20. board — a committee
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rule — government
  24. march — the month

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