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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. board — to get on
  3. court — of a king
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — for sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. can — to be able to
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bat — the animal
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — of law
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. can — a tin

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