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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spell — a short time
  3. board — a committee
  4. fall — to drop
  5. net — after costs
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. spell — letters
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — for catching
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. net — in sport
  14. kid — child
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — soda
  24. fall — the season

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