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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. swing — in golf
  5. board — a committee
  6. swing — to play on
  7. board — to get on
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. shower — to wash
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. swing — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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