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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — of law
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. board — a committee
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. board — to get on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. court — for sport
  21. craft — a skill
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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