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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. lean — thin
  2. board — to get on
  3. fall — the season
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. swing — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chip — for betting
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chip — to eat
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fall — to drop
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. swing — to play on
  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