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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. swing — music
  3. vault — a safe
  4. drill — army training
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — of the year
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. clip — to cut
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. swing — in golf
  13. drill — a practice
  14. clip — a video
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — the tool
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wound — an injury
  22. season — in sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. board — a committee

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