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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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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: bass · shower · key · wound · mark · board · court · spell

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — low music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. board — to get on
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mark — a grade
  19. shower — rain
  20. key — in music
  21. spell — magic
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — to wash

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