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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.

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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 · pass · game · shower · squash · board · charge · nail

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — of a king
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. pass — a permit
  12. board — to get on
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — rain
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — to wash
  18. board — a committee
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. court — of law
  24. squash — the sport

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