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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. board — a committee
  5. firm — a company
  6. track — a song
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. firm — steady
  10. mark — a trace
  11. court — for sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. firm — decided
  22. track — a path
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — of a king

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