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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. court — of a king
  2. season — in sport
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. firm — a company
  6. staff — employees
  7. firm — decided
  8. court — for sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. season — of the year
  16. bat — the animal
  17. firm — steady
  18. board — to get on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. board — a committee
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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