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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. board — to get on
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. board — a committee
  11. content — the amount
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cap — a hat
  14. court — of law
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — the fish
  24. court — of a king

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