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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. board — a committee
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. suit — to fit
  11. court — of law
  12. board — to get on
  13. court — of a king
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. scale — in music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. suit — clothes
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bowl — to roll

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