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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 116 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. present — the time now
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. key — the most important part
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — a committee
  17. field — a subject
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. clip — to cut
  21. present — a gift
  22. key — in music
  23. present — there
  24. sharp — with an edge

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