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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. court — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. board — a committee
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. fine — high quality
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. ground — the earth
  20. board — to get on
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ground — a position
  24. fine — all right

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