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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bank — for money
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cell — a phone
  11. board — to get on
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. row — to paddle
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wound — an injury
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — a path
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — a song

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