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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. row — a line
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. press — to push
  8. row — to paddle
  9. vault — a safe
  10. board — a committee
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bank — for money
  15. press — a publisher
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bank — for money
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. press — newspapers
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kick — in football
  22. board — to get on
  23. bank — of a river
  24. row — a quarrel

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