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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. board — a committee
  3. band — a ring
  4. board — to get on
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pop — music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. band — a music group
  12. club — a group
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the sport
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pop — soda
  18. club — for golf
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. club — for dancing
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. straw — a straw man

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