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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of a king
  9. firm — steady
  10. scale — size or range
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. swing — to play on
  13. scale — in music
  14. court — for sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. firm — a company
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. firm — decided
  24. board — a flat piece

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