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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — letters
  9. board — to get on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. chest — a box
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spell — magic
  20. board — a committee
  21. rock — music
  22. bass — low music
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mine — for digging

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