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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pass — a permit
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. track — a song
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spell — letters
  12. track — a path
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spell — magic
  19. mark — a grade
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. court — of law
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. track — to keep track

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