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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. board — a committee
  3. vault — a safe
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pop — to visit
  6. object — to protest
  7. degree — from a university
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. board — to get on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. degree — temperature
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pop — soda
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. object — a thing
  20. pop — music
  21. object — an aim
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to click
  24. degree — an amount

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