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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. board — to get on
  4. kick — in football
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chest — a box
  7. vault — a safe
  8. board — a committee
  9. tube — a container
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rock — music
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bowl — a football final

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