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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. season — in sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tube — the underground
  6. board — to get on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. board — a committee
  11. lean — thin
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. court — of law
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lean — to bend
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — of the year
  21. game — a match
  22. tube — a container
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. board — a flat piece

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