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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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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mate — to breed
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bound — obliged
  7. swing — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bound — certain
  11. mate — a friend
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. swing — to play on
  20. board — to get on
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. swing — in golf
  23. vault — a safe
  24. patient — a sick person

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