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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · cabinet · snap · mark · court · board · stand · band

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — final
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. court — for sport
  10. last — to go on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. snap — to click
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mark — a trace
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a ring
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. court — of a king
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. court — of law
  24. last — finally

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