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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · board · fine · content · bass · file · mine · court

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. board — a committee
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bass — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. file — a document
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bass — low music
  16. court — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fine — high quality
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. board — to get on
  22. court — of law
  23. fine — all right
  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