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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 · wake · perch · squash · board · ball · court · stand

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. court — of law
  5. stand — to bear
  6. court — for sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. court — of a king
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — a committee
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. board — a flat piece

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