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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. court — of a king
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. scale — in music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. board — a committee
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bass — low music
  13. content — happy
  14. court — for sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — the fish
  21. swing — music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. board — a flat piece

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