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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rule — a law
  8. board — to get on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a committee
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — the animal
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. vault — a safe
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chair — a leader
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bat — for baseball

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