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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fan · bound · mark · court · safe · board · wind · arm

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. court — for sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mark — a grade
  15. board — a committee
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. board — to get on
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. court — of a king
  24. arm — a part of something

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