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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. board — a committee
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. firm — a company
  5. hand — in cards
  6. snap — to click
  7. firm — decided
  8. race — the arms race
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — to come from
  13. race — a contest
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. firm — steady
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. board — to get on
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. vault — a safe
  24. hand — help

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