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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. band — a ring
  7. charge — in control
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. swing — to play on
  12. board — to get on
  13. band — a music group
  14. board — a committee
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. charge — electricity
  17. court — of a king
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. charge — a price
  20. swing — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. swing — in golf

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