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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. court — of a king
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. band — a ring
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. rock — music
  13. board — a committee
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rock — a stone
  17. board — to get on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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