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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spell — a short time
  6. board — a committee
  7. hand — help
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cap — a lid
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — of ice
  18. board — to get on
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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