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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. court — for sport
  5. file — a tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. court — of law
  10. board — a committee
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. board — to get on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mug — a face
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mug — to rob
  24. last — finally

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