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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. game — a match
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. content — happy
  8. vault — a safe
  9. content — the amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — wild animals
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. board — a committee
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spell — a short time
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. spell — magic
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. spell — letters
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. racket — a loud noise

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