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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. face — to confront
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitch — completely
  5. board — a committee
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. face — part of the head
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. tube — a container
  20. ball — a dance
  21. tube — the underground
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. board — a flat piece

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