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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: board · tear · saw · game · court · ball · ruler · season

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. board — to get on
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. tear — from crying
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — in sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. game — a match
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — of the year
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. board — a committee
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ball — a round shape

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