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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: club · pass · board · bay · season · court · clip · firm

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. firm — decided
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — for paper
  7. court — of law
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. firm — a company
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — to get on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. court — for sport
  17. club — a group
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. board — a committee
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — in sport
  23. firm — steady
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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