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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: chest · leaves · board · land · dip · march · ruler · court

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. land — to come down
  4. court — for sport
  5. march — music
  6. board — a committee
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. board — to get on
  9. court — of law
  10. march — the month
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chest — of your body
  18. dip — to sink
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chest — a box
  23. land — ground
  24. ruler — a monarch

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