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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mark — a grade

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