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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. board — to get on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. deal — to handle
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bound — certain
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. last — finally
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — final
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — to go on

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