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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. court — of law
  6. rock — a stone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. firm — decided
  9. rock — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of a king
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kid — child
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — for sport
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wake — a trail
  19. firm — a company
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. firm — steady

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