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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — in sport
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. content — happy
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. press — newspapers
  9. board — a committee
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. board — to get on
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. press — a publisher
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. vault — a safe
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. press — to push
  20. content — the amount
  21. net — after costs
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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