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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. court — of a king
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — in music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ground — a position
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. spring — of water
  18. court — for sport
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. spring — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. court — of law
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wave — with your hand

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