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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. court — for sport
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. board — a committee
  7. court — of law
  8. board — to get on
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. firm — a company
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. firm — decided
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mark — a grade
  21. court — of a king
  22. land — ground
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. land — to come down

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