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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — of law
  3. board — a committee
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a grade
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. board — to get on
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. court — of a king
  24. wind — to turn a key

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