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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. last — final
  5. rock — music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. last — finally
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. last — to go on
  12. board — to get on
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rock — a stone
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fan — a supporter

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