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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. board — a committee
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — of water
  19. craft — boats
  20. mine — for digging
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bat — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. mouse — the animal

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