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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bass — the fish
  3. board — a committee
  4. court — of law
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. march — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — letters
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chest — of your body
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spell — magic
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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