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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: fan · court · wave · bore · bat · rock · key · board

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — music
  7. bore — to drill
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. board — a committee
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. board — to get on
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. court — of law
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rock — a stone

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