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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bass — low music
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. charge — in control
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mate — a partner
  7. board — a committee
  8. mate — to breed
  9. vault — a safe
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cell — a phone
  18. board — to get on
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. charge — a price
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cell — in biology

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