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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: arm · stand · bass · court · clip · club · fine · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bass — the fish
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — for golf
  11. board — a committee
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. clip — a video
  14. bass — low music
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. court — of law
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. fine — all right
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stand — to bear

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