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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. staff — a stick
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — a line
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. bass — low music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — a safe

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