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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mate — to breed
  3. court — of a king
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. board — to get on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — a friend
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. court — for sport
  13. face — part of the head
  14. last — to go on
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rest — a break
  18. face — to point toward
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in biology

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