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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lie — to recline
  4. track — a path
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. track — a song
  9. board — to get on
  10. track — to keep track
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cue — a signal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. board — a committee
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. court — of a king
  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