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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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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: court · cue · board · arm · hand · firm · rash · fan

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. firm — steady
  6. court — of law
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. court — for sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — decided
  12. rash — a series
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rash — hasty
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. firm — a company
  17. hand — in cards
  18. board — to get on
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of a king
  24. hand — help

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