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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. board — to get on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fall — the season
  14. season — in sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — of the year
  18. fall — to drop
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. board — a committee
  21. wax — to grow
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wax — in the ear

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