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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fall — the season
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mine — for digging
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bass — low music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. board — a committee
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — the fish

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