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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · court · press · mug · march · board · wind · arm

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — to get on
  3. press — to push
  4. board — a committee
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. court — for sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — a face
  10. court — of law
  11. march — music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — the month
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — to rob
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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