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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. present — a gift
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rock — a stone
  5. board — a committee
  6. staff — employees
  7. court — of a king
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — the time now
  10. scale — in music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — to get on
  15. court — for sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. staff — a stick
  20. court — of law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — there
  24. rock — music

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