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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 124 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. face — part of the head
  3. board — a committee
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. face — to confront
  7. race — humankind
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. scale — size or range
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. scale — in music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mouse — for a computer

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