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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. vault — a safe
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — a line
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — for digging
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. board — a committee
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — to paddle

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