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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chest — of your body
  5. charge — a price
  6. club — for golf
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — for dancing
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. snap — to click
  12. vault — a safe
  13. degree — an amount
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. club — a group
  16. squash — the sport
  17. board — a committee
  18. charge — in control
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chest — a box
  22. squash — to crush
  23. degree — temperature
  24. board — a flat piece

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