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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. board — to get on
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. board — a committee
  7. court — of a king
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — for sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. court — of law
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. kick — in football
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. saw — the tool

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