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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. board — a committee
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ball — a great time
  5. board — to get on
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — clever
  8. club — for golf
  9. cap — of ice
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. hand — help
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. club — a group
  22. cap — a hat
  23. branch — a division
  24. sharp — exactly

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