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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. shower — to wash
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. swing — music
  9. shower — rain
  10. land — a country
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. swing — to play on
  13. scale — in music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. row — a line
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. vault — a safe
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. row — to paddle
  24. swing — in golf

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