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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. ground — a position
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. key — for a lock
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. kick — in football
  16. spring — a coil
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. key — in music
  22. spring — of water
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fan — a supporter

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