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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. track — a song
  7. perch — the fish
  8. track — a path
  9. swing — to play on
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. current — electric
  21. mug — a face
  22. track — to keep track
  23. board — a committee
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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