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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. toast — bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. sharp — clever
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. vault — a safe
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. board — a committee
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. press — newspapers
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spring — of water
  24. toast — a drink to someone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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