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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — to go on
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ground — a position
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — to get on
  10. field — farmland
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — finally
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. toast — bread
  16. vault — a safe
  17. field — a subject
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. clip — a video
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. clip — for paper
  22. field — for sport
  23. last — final
  24. ground — crushed

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