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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pop — soda
  3. cold — an illness
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. board — a committee
  10. drill — the tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pop — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pop — to visit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. board — to get on
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. vault — a safe
  21. drill — army training
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chip — to eat
  24. roll — on a roll

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