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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fine — high quality
  8. board — a committee
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bat — the animal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. squash — the sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. board — to get on
  20. swing — music
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fine — all right
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. swing — to play on

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