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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 120 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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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: calf · prune · bound · game · board · content · court · deal

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. game — a match
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — tied together
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. deal — to handle
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. content — happy
  19. court — of a king
  20. game — wild animals
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. board — to get on
  23. court — for sport
  24. content — the amount

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