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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. court — for sport
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cell — a phone
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. sharp — clever
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. court — of a king
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — in biology
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. board — to get on
  22. court — of law
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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