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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. rock — music
  4. last — finally
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. last — to go on
  7. tube — a container
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. last — final
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. present — a gift
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — of a king
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rock — to move gently

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