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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. court — of law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. object — to protest
  5. staff — a stick
  6. swing — in golf
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. court — for sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. object — a thing
  11. swing — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — an aim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of a king
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — to get on
  24. fan — to cool the air

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