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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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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: pitcher · temple · tear · court · swing · bay · board · prune

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a committee
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — to play on
  14. tear — to rip
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. swing — music
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — in golf
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tear — from crying
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — for 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