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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. firm — a company
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — hasty
  5. court — for sport
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rash — a series
  9. bank — of a river
  10. firm — decided
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — of a king
  13. bank — for money
  14. clip — for paper
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. scale — in music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. clip — a video
  22. face — to confront
  23. board — to get on
  24. firm — steady

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