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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. board — a committee
  3. present — there
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. spring — a coil
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. present — the time now
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. board — to get on
  20. present — a gift
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lie — an untruth

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