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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. board — to get on
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bat — the animal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. board — a committee
  10. cell — in biology
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cell — a phone

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