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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — the month
  3. vault — a safe
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. board — to get on
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — music
  13. stock — shares
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stock — goods
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. board — a committee
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cold — an illness
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — of a tree

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