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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. march — the month
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rash — hasty
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — of a king
  16. mug — a face
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — a series
  19. board — to get on
  20. mug — a cup
  21. date — the fruit
  22. march — music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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