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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · court · present · rash · cabinet · cold · wave · pitcher

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. board — a committee
  10. cold — not warm
  11. court — for sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. court — of a king
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — a gift
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. board — to get on
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — an illness
  23. court — of law
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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