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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — for sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pop — to visit
  10. toast — bread
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — soda
  14. spell — letters
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pop — music
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. court — of a king
  21. spell — a short time
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. board — to get on

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