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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 116 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 · ball · mug · safe · hand · deal · court · land

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mug — a face
  4. ball — a great time
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mug — a cup
  8. land — to come down
  9. court — of law
  10. board — to get on
  11. ball — a dance
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. land — ground
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. land — a country
  18. hand — help
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mug — to rob
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. board — a flat piece

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