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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. game — wild animals
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. board — to get on
  7. court — of law
  8. bulb — for light
  9. game — a match
  10. band — a music group
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stem — to come from
  13. court — of a king
  14. band — a ring
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. court — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bulb — for light
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. arm — part of the body

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