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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: board · kid · mug · bass · mark · pitcher · court · foot

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — of law
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. court — for sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mark — a grade
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. board — a committee
  23. mark — a trace
  24. court — of a king

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