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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: band · court · staff · bat · fine · pitcher · board · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a committee
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. band — a music group
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. band — a ring
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. board — to get on
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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