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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. last — to go on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lean — thin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. hand — help
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. last — final
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. last — finally
  14. band — a ring
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. lean — to bend
  19. board — a committee
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. board — to get on

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