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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. board — to get on
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. roll — a list
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. last — final
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. board — a committee
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — a song
  16. last — finally
  17. roll — a cake
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. swing — to play on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — a path
  23. vault — a safe
  24. track — to keep track

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