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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — of a king
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — a tin
  24. board — a committee

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