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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. row — a line
  5. dip — to sink
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. court — for sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. board — a committee
  18. row — to paddle
  19. date — the fruit
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. branch — a division

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